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How to Play Kemps
A game of kemps consists of a series of rounds. Each round follows the same basic pattern and includes the following:
- Setting signals
- The deal and setup
- Play
- Calling “kemps” and “stop kemps”
Setting Signals
Before the game begins, each team should step away from the table. The teams should then create one or more secret signals that will allow the partneres to alert each other when one has four of a kind and the other should say “kemp.”
Rules About Signals
Signals can be verbal or nonverbal:
- Verbal: Any word or phrase can be used as a signal.
- Nonverbal: Tapping the table with a particular finger, for example, is an acceptable nonverbal signal. Nonverbal signals must be visible to your opponents. For instance, stepping on your partner’s foot beneath the table is not an acceptable signal.
You may have more than one signal in each round. You may also change signals between rounds if you think that your opponents have figured out your signal.
Whether verbal or nonverbal, all signals must follow one all-important rule: signals may be used only to indicate that you have four of a kind. For instance, you’re not allowed to have a signal that tells your partner that you have three of a kind.
Keep Your Signals Secret
When agreeing on signals with your partner, be careful to keep your signals secret from the other team or teams.
The Deal and Setup
Once all the teams have set their various signals, the players should sit down, with partners facing each other, at the table.
Determining the Dealer
Unlike in many other card games, in kemps there’s no advantage to being the dealer. Still, it’s a good idea to designate one player as the dealer in a round just to simplify the dealing process. If you wish, the deal can rotate around the table from round to round.
Dealing the Cards
First, the dealer shuffles the cards. Then he deals four cards to each player, followed by four more cards facedown in the middle of the table. The dealer then lays the main deck of cards off to the side.
The following diagram shows the kemps setup after the deal. Players A and C form one team, and players B and D form the other.
Play
Once all the cards have been dealt, the dealer turns the cards in the middle of the table faceup, all the players pick up their hands, and play begins.
How Play Proceeds
There are no turns in kemps. Instead, once play begins, the players can discard cards from their hands or pick up cards from the center pile whenever they want, as long as they follow these rules:
- A player must discard (lay down) a card from her hand before taking a card from the center pile.
- After discarding and taking a card, a player must always have exactly four cards in his hand.
- Players can take cards that other players have discarded. For instance, if player A discards a queen from her hand in order to pick up a 7 from the central pile, player B may discard one of his cards and pick up the queen.
Players may discard and take cards as often as they want and whenever they want. If two players reach for the same card, the first player to touch the card gets to take it.
Refreshing the Center Pile
At some point, none of the players will want any of the four cards in the central pile. If it seems as if the game has reached this stage, the dealer should ask whether anyone wants any of the cards. If the answer is no, the dealer removes those four cards from the board and deals four new cards, faceup, to make a new central pile, and play continues as before. This continues until a team calls “kemps” or “stop kemps.”
Calling “Kemps”
A player calls “kemps” when he believes that his partner has four of a kind. When a player calls “kemps,” play must stop immediately, and the player who supposedly has four of a kind must then reveal her hand.
- If the player does have four of a kind, then the team that called “kemps” wins a point.
- If the player doesn’t have four of a kind, then the team that didn’t call “kemps” wins a point.
Whichever team ultimately wins the point, the round ends when a player calls “kemps.”
Calling “Stop Kemps”
A player calls “stop kemps” when she believes that one of her opponents has four of a kind. When a player calls “stop kemps,” play must stop immediately, and the player who supposedly has four of a kind must then reveal his hand.
- If the opposing player does have four of a kind, the team that called “stop kemps” gets a point.
- If the opposing player doesn’t have four of a kind, then the team that didn’t call “stop kemps” wins the point.
Whichever team wins the point, the round ends when a player calls “stop kemps.” (Note that some kemps players say “contra kemps” instead of “stop kemps.”)
What to Do If the Deck Runs Out
If the deck runs out before either team calls “kemps” or “stop kemps,” you may choose one of two options:
- Reshuffle the cards that have been removed from the central pile and keep playing.
- Declare the round a draw and start the round over completely.
It’s best to chose an option before you start playing.
Scoring the Game
Points are tallied over multiple rounds. You may play to a set score—most games of kemps are played to 5. Some players play so that instead of the winning team getting points, the losing team gets a letter from the word kemps, and then the first team to spell the entire word loses.
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